Nordic stakeholders andsustainable catering

Institutionen för kost- och idrottsvetenskap

Nordic stakeholders and sustainable catering

av Anna Post

AKADEMISK AVHANDLING

som med tillstånd av utbildningsvetenskapliga fakulteten vid Göteborgs universitet för vinnande av doktorsexamen

framläggs till offentlig granskning

Fredagen den 18 februari, klockan 10.00 i Margaretha Huitfeldts Auditorium, Pedagogen hus C

Fakultetsopponent: Docent Elin Wihlborg, Linköping

ABSTRACT

Title: Nordic stakeholders and sustainable catering Language: English

Keywords: Sustainable catering, food system, Nordic catering, organic food, catering sector, sustainable food, purchaser, purchasing process, food service institutions

ISBN: 978-91-7346-697-4

Sustainability deficits in modern food systems are widely reported and

changes in food habits towards more sustainable eating patterns, including

eating seasonal and locally produced food, have been suggested to minimise

the environmental impact of food consumption and production. By means of

national programmes and recommendations, the Nordic countries have taken

the initiative for public catering to use local, organic and seasonal food in an

attempt to create a healthier and more sustainable catering sector. But the

problem is obvious, that sustainability action is not prioritised or sufficiently

implemented everywhere and although the ‘eating out phenomenon’ is in-

creasing every year, very little research has focused on sustainability action in

the catering sector. The overall aim of this thesis is to analyse and discuss

crucial factors for progress in sustainable catering as well as to establish a

systems approach in research on food systems. Based on system thinking

analysis of a Swedish survey and telephone interviews with stakeholders in

the Nordic countries, crucial factors for sustainable catering can be linked to

insufficient communication, ideological dilemmas due to conflicting mes-

sages but also to language deficiencies between stakeholders and other actors

in the food system. System thinking would make it easier to make visible dif-

ferent stakeholders’ views concerning sustainable catering but also to better

understand the whole picture. Stakeholders such as professional food pur-

chasers and procurers are important in the process but do not have the tools to

handle the conflicting message between economical and environmental direc-

tives. Knowledge of how the concept of sustainable development is con-

structed will facilitate work on achieving sustainable catering.